(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
Soil is the substance on the surface of the earth in which plants grow.
We have the most fertile ~ in Europe.
...regions with sandy ~s.
N-MASS
2.
You can use ~ in expressions like British ~ to refer to a country’s territory.
The issue of foreign troops on Turkish ~ is a sensitive one.
= territory
N-UNCOUNT: with supp
3.
If you ~ something, you make it dirty. (FORMAL)
Young people don’t want to do things that ~ their hands...
He raised his eyes slightly as though her words might somehow ~ him.
= dirty
VERB: V n, V n
~ed
...a ~ed white apron.
= dirty
ADJ